It has been described as “the most disturbing site on the Internet.”
PimEyes is a search engine that uses artificial intelligence to search for any face that is uploaded and finds all images of that person online in seconds.
I tried it with images of me and my wife and it was certainly a wake-up call. In each case, he discovered images he didn’t know were online.
Perhaps most terrifying of all was the fact that pictures of my wife appeared on Instagram (even though her profile was private).
Simply searching for an image brings up dozens of photographs of you online, from various sources (Picture PimEyes/Rob Waugh)
This was the initial image I uploaded; The results surprised me.
Facial search software has been developed by “Big Tech” in the past, but Google’s Eric Schmidt described it as “too dangerous” to release in 2011.
PimEyes, initially developed by two Polish hackers, has no such qualms.
TikTok users have used the technology to discover the identity of a cameraman at a Taylor Swift concert, and there are currently few laws in the US to expose people who use the technology.
Privacy experts who spoke to DailyMail.com warned that people “searching” for people they pass on the street could soon become an unwanted reality.
Rowan Cheung, founder of The Rundown AI, has described it as “the most disturbing AI website on the internet.”
The Georgia-based company recently banned searches for children (this appears to have been effective, since it wouldn’t search for my son), but others have discovered that it still searches for images of teenagers.
In my case, there were images of me at an awards ceremony that I had no idea were online.
For subscribers, PimEyes claims that “deep search” returns more results, but takes a little longer, while the “Safe Search” option excludes possible adult content.
PimEyes is free to use, but requires a subscription for advanced features such as accessing the websites it appears on.
Similar technology has been used in the Ukraine war to uncover Russian infiltrators.
Reports in Australia also suggested that police had accessed PimEyes several times, potentially searching for suspects.
Simply searching for an image brings up dozens of photographs of you online, from various sources (Picture PimEyes/Rob Waugh)
Simply searching for an image brings up dozens of photographs of you online, from various sources (Picture PimEyes/Rob Waugh)
People “searching” passers-by to find their social media profiles is likely to become common, warned Paul Bischoff, consumer privacy advocate at Comparitech.
Bischoff said: “PimEyes claims that you can find yourself on the Internet and protect your privacy and image.”
‘The idea is that by using PimEyes to search for your image, you can take steps to remove those photos or at least prevent abuse.
‘In reality, PimEyes and people search sites make it easy for stalkers, abusers and cybercriminals to find and target people without their consent.
‘Although PimEyes is concerning from a privacy point of view, we must recognize that these sites will become increasingly common and will get better at identifying people.
“Taking a photograph of someone on the street and looking up who it is without their consent will probably be a fairly common, if unpleasant, practice in the coming years.”
The implications of the technology are extremely disturbing and could be misused by stalkers, said security expert Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4 regarding PimEyes, speaking to DailyMail.com.
Malik said: ‘Imagine you are on public transport, lost in thought or perhaps buried in a book. Unbeknownst to you, someone across the hall takes a photo. In a few moments, using a platform like PimEyes, they could discover a wealth of information about you: links to various web appearances, social media profiles, maybe even your workplace or personal blogs.
‘This is not speculative fiction; is a very real possibility given the power of facial recognition technology.
‘Despite PimEyes’ policy that it should be used responsibly (by people recording it themselves or with their explicit consent), there are no substantial mechanisms in place to prevent misuse. This gap between policy and practice is where privacy concerns multiply. There is a very real risk of stalking, harassment or worse, as there is no telling what ends a motivated person with access to your photos might pursue.’
Malik warns that people should be careful when taking photos publicly and posting them publicly, and advises that social media profiles be set to “private” so that tools like PimEyes can’t pull images from them.
He told DailyMail.com that ‘PimEyes’ immense capabilities highlight a critical need for responsible use guidelines, transparency in operation and, perhaps most importantly, strict regulations to protect people’s privacy. While the technology itself is neutral, its application can greatly impact personal privacy.
“The practical reality of how technology is used often deviates from its intended ethical guidelines, underscoring a privacy nightmare where personal spaces and anonymous existences are increasingly endangered in the digital expanse.”